Sprint CEO: We're Moving From Voice Minutes To Gigabytes Used

[Poke]

Sprint CEO: We're Moving From Voice Minutes To Gigabytes Used - Et tu, Hesse? - dslreports.com

Both Verizon and AT&T have made it clear that they want to ditch the current (sort of flat rate) wireless pricing system to one that involves more caps and per-byte overages. That's (and sorry to repeat ourselves) because carriers want to prepare for the inevitable revenue losses they'll see as mobile VoIP and push IM clients begin to erode voice and SMS revenues. The carriers pitch these changes as being about fairness and even altruism, and it works.
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Neither AT&T and Verizon have officially announced LTE pricing, in part because they're curious to see what kind of pricing consumers will tolerate. If you tell them that low caps and high overages are a good value by buying their service, guess what kind of pricing model you're going to get? Consumers are going to have to pay close attention and ask lots of questions (will my unused gigabytes roll over?) as the wireless data pricing of tomorrow gets hashed out.

 

[mike123abc]

The problem is that the cost of cell service keeps going down while they have to spend more and more on their networks to stay competitive.

Walmart.com: Electronics: Straight Talk Brand Shop

Walmart has $45 unlimited minutes/texts/data and $30 1000/1000/30MB plans

Around here you see $30 unlimited plans advertized.

 

[truckracer]

i think in an economic recession that the big wireless giants may cut their nose if they push very much... people are not going to spend the money unless its a real value...vanity expensive fan boy phones with ridiculous high plans are not cutting it right now.

Free wifi is so prevailent in most areas one can use an ipod touch or deactivated iphone with a prepaid sim card to make skype calls or other voip calls while out and about... an iphone will not work with factory firmware on wifi without a sim card for example.
I am sure some other carrier's phones or other devices can be used this way too.